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A wishlist of gear to be reviewed by Amir

thingul

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Do you have any plans for measuring more items like SMSL AD18 and the Topping MX3 in the near future ? Specifically I was curious how the Nad D3045 compared, I purchased one which I can test for 30 days and return if I don't like it, it seems ok in my limited testing but just wondering if there are other products out there that perform better or the same for a lower price point.
 

amirm

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Do you have any plans for measuring more items like SMSL AD18 and the Topping MX3 in the near future ? Specifically I was curious how the Nad D3045 compared, I purchased one which I can test for 30 days and return if I don't like it, it seems ok in my limited testing but just wondering if there are other products out there that perform better or the same for a lower price point.
I have a few more amplifiers in this class for review but not the D3045. I did measure the NAD 7050 though: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-measurements-of-nad-7050-streaming-amp.6983/
 

daftcombo

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Would love to see a review & measurements of the miniDSP OpenDRC-DA8 as a DAC.
 

babuganoosh

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I'd love to see a review of the Mayflower ARC (amp/dac combo unit).

I actually owned one for a short period, and I have my own thoughts as to what its weaknesses/strengths are, but I'd appreciate another excellent review from Amir as well.
 

pastorbarrett

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Would love to see review of Yamaha R-N803D - 2 channel 100w amp with DAC, Yamaha proprietary YPAO room correction, phono, airplay, Spotify connect, wifi connection, headphone out etc. Nice contemporary solution if it performs suitably available for approx 750 dollars
 

tranq

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@amirm

Not sure if this is the place for it or not, so I am sorry if it's been commented on elsewhere. What are your thoughts on cables, and their ability to transfer quality signal between one point to another? DAC to preamp, HP amp to HPs, USB port to DAC, etc. Have you ever thought of measuring cables, or is that a fools errand for you? I recently won an auction on eBay for some Zu libtec cables, and when I got around to hooking them up, the admittedly subjective results amazed me. Granted many variables changed, connections, gauge, insulation, shielding, etc, but I am having a tough time understanding why I am hearing such an apparent (to me change) my Amazon basics speaker cables and Dayton audio connectors must have had some massive connection issue.
 

amirm

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@amirm

Not sure if this is the place for it or not, so I am sorry if it's been commented on elsewhere. What are your thoughts on cables, and their ability to transfer quality signal between one point to another? DAC to preamp, HP amp to HPs, USB port to DAC, etc. Have you ever thought of measuring cables, or is that a fools errand for you?
I don't believe they make a difference. I did measure USB cables and while they did make a measured difference, the benefit was only there for short cables: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/do-usb-audio-cables-make-a-difference.1887/

But yes, I do plan on measuring cables just to have data to put behind the words. :)
 

tranq

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Thanks, yeah I've been reading up on speaker cable theory to try and better understand why I am hearing such a difference. The easiest and most plausible explanation I have read at this point isn't that the new cable is that much better then the old cable, but rather the connections of the new cable (oversized pure copper spades), are making a much better connection then what I had before ( banana and pin connectors coated with gold over unknown base material)
 

GGroch

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Thanks, yeah I've been reading up on speaker cable theory to try and better understand why I am hearing such a difference...

Hi tranq.

To understand why you are hearing such a difference in cables, I suggest that you broaden your research to include psychoacoustics, how humans hear and analyze sound. There are qutie a few threads on ASR that should make your perceptions easier to understand.

Here is a really good place to start.

If you watch the 1st 6 minutes of the video it covers most of the ground. The full video is worth seeing, but the ASR thread it is attached to is also highly relevant and funny I think. It begins with a probably apocryphal story that purports to prove objectivists (like most of us here) have terrible hearing, but actually proves that everyone, including objectivists, is impacted by our pre-conceptions and expectations.

There are lots of speaker cable theories, but there exists almost no objective measurement that proves audible differences between decently designed cables....and our leader Amir has very nice things to say about Amazon basics cable.

There are a lot of measurements that prove human perceptions of hearing are impacted by our expectations and beliefs, and that the simple act of listening intensely also impacts our perceptions.

In my view that does not mean you should not enjoy your new cable. I enjoy tube amps (and tube rolling) even though I know that my tube amps are objectively not as good as solid state, and that the joy I get from them mostly comes from liking the nostalgic glow, and how they remind me of the old tube radios we listened to when I was a kid. So, I'm going to like tubes, but I am not going to spend $5000 on a tube amp.
 

endian675

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I recommend something by Hegel, like the HD12 or HD25 DACs. They seem to be doing some nice things up there in Norway. Hegel makes some strong claims about their ability to deal with noise but at the same time they aren't silly about their claims. I've always been curious as to how they stack up against Benchmark.

I second this request! I have a Hegel H160, which I'm very pleased with, but would like to know a) where it ranks compared to the many DACs that Amir has tested and b) what upgrades would materially improve my system's performance.
 

typericey

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Would be nice to see measurements of entry level Emotiva amps like the Stealth PA-1 (ICE Power 300ASC!) and A-300.
 

gcompari

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Wishlist.

Soundcards:
- RME BabyFace Pro
- RMA DigiFace USB (analog out)
- Arturia Audiofuse

Portable DAC/Amp:
- HRT microStreamer
- HRT dSp
- Musiland MU2 (w/o "plus")

Test measurements:
- Crosstalk
- S/N (w/o THD)
- output impedance vs. freq.

Test for all DUTs:
- THD (w/o Noise) vs. freq. & out power
- IMD vs. freq. & out power
 

gcompari

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This is already in my testing. Is there some variation you are looking for that is not?
For example I can't find SNR in your interesting reviews of:
- Musiland MU2 Plus
- Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital
- Centrance DacPort HD

I saw THD+N (SINAD), but I can't find the distinct values for SNR and THD.

In the Pre Box S2 I can find the IMD test, but I can't find it in the DacPort HD and MU2 Plus reviews.

Portable, USB powered and less expensive DAC/HeadAmps are often problematic about crosstalk.

Probably I used a bad abbreviation (w/o => without): sorry I'm Italian...
 

amirm

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For example I can't find SNR in your interesting reviews of:
- Musiland MU2 Plus
- Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital
- Centrance DacPort HD
I have not standardize on suite of tests then. I have now and do run SNR measurements.
 

Veri

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In the Pre Box S2 I can find the IMD test, but I can't find it in the DacPort HD and MU2 Plus reviews.

Portable, USB powered and less expensive DAC/HeadAmps are often problematic about crosstalk.

Probably I used a bad abbreviation (w/o => without): sorry I'm Italian...

When looking at older reviews, Amir's testing methodology has really changed over time. Since many units were loaned to him he can't go back and do some missing measurement, not to mention the time it would take :)
 

August

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aune s7pro Headphone Amp PLZ :)

I really want to know if its performance matches the perfect look.
 
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